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74,100 ... is the number of different fridge magnets being peddled on
Taobao, China’s biggest domestic internet shopping platform.

It is an awe-inspiring selection that caters handsomely to all tastes —
provided you like garish plastic representations of food, famous
international landmarks, bride and groom teddy bears, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers,
SpongeBob SquarePants and little imitation wooden plaques saying “Home Sweet
Home”.

China’s dominance of the global fridge magnet game is not in question. On the
Alibaba online shopping mall, used for business-to-business dealings between
Chinese exporters and foreign buyers, there are more than 150,000 fridge
magnets on offer and infinite scope to